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France Charges 25 People, Including 6 Minors, in Crypto Kidnapping Cases

French authorities have charged 25 people, including six minors, for their roles in a spate of crypto kidnappings in Paris, with the majority of the suspects connected to the recent failed kidnapping attempt of a crypto exchange CEO’s family, Paris’s public prosecutor’s office said, Le Monde reported Saturday.
The investigation is focused on the kidnapping attempt of the daughter and grandson of the CEO of crypto exchange Paymium, Pierre Noizat, that occurred on May 13, the report said.
The probe also looked at other unsuccessful kidnapping attempts, including an earlier attempt on Noizat’s family members, plus an attempted abduction near the western city of Nantes last Monday that authorities thwarted.
The arrests follow a spate of high-profile crypto kidnappings that have plagued France this year.
In May the father of a French crypto millionaire was kidnapped, the BBC reported. At the start of the year David Ballard, a co-founder of crypto-wallet developer Ledger was kidnapped alongside his wife. Both of the men had a finger severed, with videos of the appendage used to extract a ransom.
Following the recent kidnappings France’s Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau hosted a meeting with crypto stakeholders in May to discuss measures to keep them secure.
The suspects involved in the May 13 case were between the ages of 16 and 23 years; six of them were minors, the Le Monde report said. They were mostly born in France while three individuals were from Senegal, Angola and Russia, the report cited prosecutors as saying.
This case is characterized by «very young profiles, lured by money and then caught up in a situation that is beyond them,» observed lawyer Ambroise Vienet-Legué, who is defending an 18-year-old suspect in the Nantes part of the case, the report said.
A source familiar with the investigation told CoinDesk that the suspects are believed to be locally-hired muscle, who are paid by a criminal operation in Southeast Asia to carry out the kidnappings for as little as $10,000.
Eighteen people are in pre-trial detention, three have requested a deferred hearing while four are under judicial supervision, the public prosecutor said.
Though France has been the epicenter of crypto kidnappings, similar crimes are on the rise across the globe, including recent several cases in the U.S.
CoinDesk reached out to Paris’s prosecution office for a comment.
Read more: Suspects in Manhattan Crypto Kidnapping, Torture Case Plead Not Guilty As Investigation Widens
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Bitcoin Holds Above $105K Despite Donald Trump’s Threats Against Elon Musk

Bitcoin BTC held firm above $105,000 on Saturday despite an unusually combative and personal escalation in the Trump-Musk feud that could rattle traditional markets next week.
On Saturday, in a phone interview with NBC News, President Trump warned that there would be “serious consequences” if Elon Musk financially backed Democratic candidates running against Republicans who support the GOP’s budget bill. “If he does, he’ll have to pay the consequences for that,” Trump said, adding later, “He’ll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that.”
Trump, who has often boasted of past support from Musk, firmly dismissed the idea of mending ties. “No,” he said when asked whether he wished to repair the relationship. “I would assume so, yeah,” he added when asked if the rift was permanent.
Despite the intensifying feud between two of the most influential figures in U.S. politics and technology, Bitcoin remained unfazed. The cryptocurrency held onto earlier gains and continues to trade near weekly highs. The market’s composure suggests that traders may increasingly view BTC as a hedge against institutional dysfunction, or at least as an asset insulated from the partisan fallout that tends to impact equities more directly.
Technical Analysis Highlights
- BTC traded in a 24-hour range of $1,162 (1.13%), from a low of $104,624 to a high of $105,786, according to CoinDesk Research’s technical analysis model.
- Strong support formed at $104,800, where above-average volume confirmed buyer interest.
- Resistance at $105,200 was broken and has since flipped into a short-term support zone.
- Volume peaked at 378 BTC during key breakout moments, especially around 13:43–13:46 and 13:53.
- A short consolidation occurred between $104,300–$104,600 before the final surge to near highs.
- An ascending price channel remains intact, showing bullish structure despite intermittent pullbacks.
Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy.
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Ether Holds Steady Above $2,500 as ETF Demand Signals Institutional Confidence

Ether ETH has rebounded firmly from key support near $2,460, recovering losses and stabilizing above the $2,500 threshold amid broader market volatility.
The rally follows a higher low formation backed by above-average volume, signaling growing market confidence.
Institutional participation appears to be reinforcing the trend, with BlackRock’s ETHA ETF reporting $492 million in net inflows last week.
Total holdings now exceed $4.84 billion, reinforcing long-term bullish sentiment even as price action remains sensitive to geopolitical developments.
Traders are watching to see if ETH can challenge resistance in the $2,520–$2,530 range.
Technical Analysis Highlights
- ETH traded within a $72 range over 24 hours, from a low of $2,460.35 to a high of $2,532.41.
- A key support zone formed at $2,460–$2,470, where ETH bounced on strong volume during midnight hours.
- Final hour surge reached $2,515.11, backed by 5,919 ETH in volume.
- Higher low structure established with interim support at $2,485 and resistance at $2,503.
- Final retracement held support at $2,507, with price consolidating around $2,510 into the close.
Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy.
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Coinbase, BiT Global End Legal Fight Over WBTC Delisting

Coinbase and BiT Global have reached a legal settlement that ended their dispute over the delisting of BiT Global’s wrapped bitcoin (wBTC) token on Coinbase.
According to a joint court filing, BiT Global has agreed to dismiss its lawsuit against the crypto exchange with prejudice, meaning the case cannot be brought again in the future. The filing notes that both companies will cover their own legal expenses.
BiT Global had filed the lawsuit last year in the Northern District of California after Coinbase delisted the token over what it said was “unacceptable risk” that the tokenized BTC would “fall into the hands of Justin Sun.”
Sun became affiliated with wBTC in August last year through a partnership, prompting Coinbase to question BiT Global about his role. Sun, a Chinese-born crypto billionaire, has nevertheless been supporting the token, with World Liberty Financial dropping its cbBTC for wBTC after he joined as an advisor.
The suit alleged the exchange’s decision was unjustified and harmed the token’s liquidity and reputation while favoring Coinbase’s competing asset cbBTC. Coinbase launched cbBTC just two months before announcing it was delisting wBTC.
The dismissal does not disclose any settlement terms beyond the cost arrangement.
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